It's Morphin Time! Power Ranger stars to come to Jacksonville for movie debut

Tiffanie DiDonato

Wednesday

Mar 22, 2017 at 12:01 AM

Who can forget the original Power Rangers? More so, the original villains of the series?

With the new reboot of the Power Rangers movie debuting March 24, hardcore fans of the original and newly introduced fanatics of the franchise will have the opportunity to meet one of the most memorable villains of all — Goldar played by Kerrigan Mahan. And he’ll be side by side with the original Yellow Wild Force Ranger from the 10th season, Alyson Sullivan.

Starting Friday from 2 to 9 p.m. inside the Carmike Cinema’s lobby at the Jacksonville Mall, Sullivan and Mahan will be signing autographs, any memorabilia fans bring in, and taking photos or “selfies” for free. Signings will also be held on Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 4 p.m.

“I was going to set them up in California where they are currently located, but there are so many conventions going on there already,” said their representative, Chris Bradly to The Daily News. “We do comics all over the world. But what would be really cool is to bring them to this town. I always see the Power Ranger fans here ranging from all ages — the fandom is really strong out here. And when I reached out to my team, they immediately jumped on board.”

Mahan will also be reintroducing a t-shirt that became an instant craze during one of his many meet and greets at Comicon — Goldar For President. There will also be autographed 8x10 glossy photos available for $20 and $25 for the t-shirt.

Community has always been of high priority for Bradly and his team. Born right here in Jacksonville and the proud nephew of a retired Marine, he knows how important distractions from daily stressors can be.

“Two minutes, maybe five minutes spent with one of your childhood heroes or favorite villain from a franchise — it’s fulfilling to be able to bring that to anyone,” he said.

Mahan also admitted this will be his first time truly visiting a military town jammed packed with America’s finest. It’s enough, he joked, to even shake Goldar to his core.

“I’m always excited when I go to an event, but my gosh, this time it’s different,” Mahan said. “This is the first for me. I’ve never been to a military town to the caliber of Camp Lejeune. This is fresh, new and wild for me. And it will be very exciting getting to see the reactions of those going in to see the new movie and then again when they come out.”

When Mahan and Sullivan aren’t signing, they’ll be touring the town and learning all about what makes Onslow County so great. Simply put, both Mahan, Bradly, and Sullivan want to, “show the greatest gratitude to our military fan base.”

Here’s a quick refresher of Goldar’s character in case you’re a wife or a mom or both who always left the room when your children (and husband) went crazy when Power Rangers aired: Goldar is a humanoid ape with glowing red eyes and a gravelly voice. He’s a super powerful and extremely overconfident warrior and serves under the command of a supreme alien threat named, Rita Repulsa. And just like his name implies, Goldar is notable for fighting in a solid gold suit of armor complete with matching helmet.

The new movie, produced by Haim Saban, tries to stay true to the originals roots in plot and features five ordinary teens who are forced to become extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove is on the verge of being obliterated by Rita Repulsa played by Elizabeth Banks. They are also quick to learn they are the only ones who can save not just their home town, but the world, too. To accomplish saving mankind they must overcome adversity and their own insecurities. They must become Power Rangers.

Will Goldar make an appearance? Mahan hinted towards something special at the end of the movie. Looks like we’ll just have to attend to find out.